


Steel

by cm (mumblemutter)



Category: Heroes - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Kink Meme, Shaving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-27
Updated: 2010-02-27
Packaged: 2017-10-09 07:57:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mumblemutter/pseuds/cm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter uses a straight razor, just like his brother does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steel

Peter used a straight razor, just like Nathan did. Technically, they were both following Dad's example, but it was Nathan he'd watched as a six year old, perched on the closed lid of the toilet bowl, legs swinging as his brother carefully applied foam on his face before he raised the blade to his skin. Not any thing he even remotely considered doing with Dad, his father's space was not meant for children, specifically those named Peter.

Nathan got him an electric razor when he'd first started needing to shave. Peter stared dubiously at the shiny box it had come in and said, "Can't I do it the way you do it."

"You? You'll probably slit your neck. I can't have that on my conscience, Pete," Nathan said, and turned away, topic closed. He noticed Peter putting the box aside though, and said, "It's an expensive razor. I had to go out by myself to buy it for you."

Which was a lie, Nathan always had girlfriends willing to do his shopping for him, his time being too precious for such frivolities, but Peter picked it back up and mumbled, "Thanks, I appreciate it."

He let the fuzz grow until Ma started complaining about having a little woodsman in the house and Pa said cuttingly, at one point, "For God's sake Peter this is not the way to prove to me you're becoming an adult."

Peter was resolute, though. Nathan would be home for another two weeks at least. It was plenty enough time.

Nathan grabbed his jaw, too hard, and said, "Okay, fine. Be this way. Come on." As if it pained him. Peter narrowed his eyes defiantly and Nathan let him go. Pa must have expressed disapproval to Nathan in some way or another, or he wouldn't be so pissed. But perhaps he just didn't want to waste his time.

His spirits were good in the bathroom though, he directed Peter to mixing the foam and said, fond smile on his face, "I remember when you were six or seven. I asked you to help me do that once. Most of it ended up on your clothes and the floor."

"I'm not six anymore, Nathan," Peter said, and he stirred, too violently, and the foam tumbled over the edge of the mug, splashed onto the sink. Nathan frowned, but said nothing.

"Sit," he ordered, and Peter grabbed a stool, then took the mirror that Nathan offered him, held it up so he could see his reflection. Face too pale a contrast against the darkness of the hair and the fuzz that only made him look younger rather than more mature. Bordering on ridiculous, and he almost put the mirror down. "What did you do with the electric razor I bought you," Nathan asked conversationally as he put one hand on the base of Peter's neck to keep him still and the other one held the brush, slathered foam over his lower face.

"I dunno," Peter said, typical fourteen year old sullenness, but then he said, "I gave it to Miguel."

"Who's Miguel."

"Our gardener of ten years," Peter said. "He said thank you, by the way. He's never had such a nice razor before."

"Ah." He put the brush down and picked up the blade, opened it. "So you want to shave downwards," he said, tilting Peter's head back so Peter had to adjust the mirror to keep on watching himself, "Or sideways. Never against the grain. That way lies madness."

"I think I know that already, Nathan."

The blade stilled in mid-air, this close to Peter's face. "Then why do you need me for?"

"I didn't - I'm sorry. Go on."

Nathan pursed his lips, but let it slide. He swept the blade carefully down the side of Peter's face, murmured, "Keep still. I don't want to cut you." Peter almost nodded his head automatically, but caught himself. After a while he stopped looking at his own reflection and started watching Nathan instead, his face blank, concentrated. Stubble beginning to show, even though it had been mere hours. "You're not paying attention," Nathan said, but he was almost done on one side of Peter's face, and he stopped to hand Peter the blade.

"Aren't you scared I'll slit my throat, bleed out all over the nice bathroom tiles?"

"Pete, when it comes to you I'm always scared," Nathan replied. He grabbed the mirror from Peter's hand and held it up. "Go on. Finish it up." Peter's hand trembled, but not as much as he thought it would. Easier than he imagined it would be. "Not bad," Nathan said, his fingers rough on Peter's newly sensitized skin, thumb sliding along his jawline. "You can keep the set. I'll get a new one."

"Thanks."

Nathan smiled, and said, "What are big brothers for?"

Years later, the girl that he was sleeping with at the time wandered into the bathroom doorway and marveled, "I've never dated a guy who shaved like this before. Even my Dad uses electric. I guess the Petrellis do things differently from the rest of us common folk."

"I guess they do," Peter said, staring at her in the reflection of the mirror, fingers clenched over the flat handle of the blade. She didn't last very long after that. Nathan asked him once, what had happened to her, because they'd been dating for a while and Peter was convinced that she was The One. Peter only shrugged.

**Author's Note:**

> For the Nathan Petrelli Memorial kink meme.


End file.
